An almost imperceptibly tiny puff of air enters Belmarniss's mouth. The sound of bells intensifies as the pixie struggles.

"Glitterdust," Deekin casts, and the pixie is now both outlined in glittering sand and blinded by the same.

Jojo snatches the pixie out of the air, pinning her arms in his clenched fist. She tries to bite him, but her teeth don't penetrate his fur.

"Stop that," he says sternly. "You're only embarrassing yourself."

"Well, this isn't the Queen, the Queen's supposed to be bigger."

"Yes, I imagine this is one of her minions. Could you let up your spell so we can ask her some questions and potentially come to an agreement?"

Belmarniss dismisses the spell.

The pixie sucks in a breath and opens her eyes, useless as they are due to glitter. "How dare you! I'll have you know that I am the Marquise of Green-on-Yellow, and I will defend the Queen with every drop of blood in my body!"

"I apologize for your rough treatment, but you did attack us unprovoked. We're not here to kill your Queen," Jojo says soothingly. "We're just here to get a puzzle piece from her and we'll leave her in peace afterwards. Besides which, we've defeated the ogre mage and his henchmen, so you'll be free to take over this level unopposed. All we ask in return is the rod in her possession."

The Marquise of Green-on-Yellow blinks a couple of times. "Really?"

"Why does everybody assume we're here to kill them and take their stuff?" Garrus asks.

"You're adventurers," the Marquise says slowly. "In Undermountain."

"...okay, point taken."

"Also I'm prepping a lot of lethals because we keep running into undead."

"Will you lead us to your Queen?" Jojo asks.

The pixie looks around suspiciously. "Alright, fine. But if you try to hurt her, know that the full might of our Queendom will fall upon you!"

"We would expect nothing less," Jojo assures her, opening his fist.

She zips out and leads the party along the corridor, which begins branching and turns into a maze. She navigates it with practiced precision, waiting with ill grace for the party to catch up when she outpaces them.

Belmarniss keeps an eye out for any pitfalls she might be leading them into.

No pitfalls. She occasionally leads them past a zombie or two, but they remain docile.

Eventually, they come to the center of the maze, which is full of... plant life. Surface plant life, trees and vines, not the fungi that might naturally grow here. A woman who looks like a surface elf with green butterfly wings on her back, tending this strange garden, looks up as the Marquise's bells approach. When she notices the adventurers following her vassal she leaps to her feet and prepares to start casting, but their guide says "Wait! They claim to come in peace."

The apparent Queen stills. "Really?"

"We're trying to solve this puzzle that calls for these rods, you might have gotten one recently? That's all we need. Your wings are really pretty."

"You're very kind to say so," she says in an oddly bitter tone. "Halaster did give me a rod - he told me to keep it safe. I'll give it to you if you can defeat my greatest enemy in this place, the ogre mage Olgin Hasterean."

"That be ogre mage's name?" Deekin asks, making a note. "He already defeated."

"Really? Then... show me the rod you took from him, and I'll give you mine."

Deekin rummages in his pack for a moment and pulls out the blue rod. "Here it be."

"So it is," the faerie queen murmurs. She shakes her head, then goes over and knocks on the trunk of a nearby tree, causing it to split open and reveal a green rod. "Here is your reward, then. I'm glad to be rid of it, truth be told; taking anything from Halaster makes me uncomfortable."

"But you keep things safe for him on demand?"

"Refusing Halaster is... very dangerous. I am, in retrospect, lucky he didn't order me to guard it with my life, or I'd have a much harder choice on my hands."

"Thanks!" chirps Belmarniss. "Good luck duking it out with Olgin."

"If you already cut through his hordes enough to take the rod from him, I won't need luck," she says with a smile. "Good luck on your own quest, whatever it is. Lady Ilsandre, would you lead our honored guests back through the maze?"

The Marquise nods, and does so.

Follow follow follow.

When they leave the maze, the Marquise waves. "Farewell, honorable friends! Sorry for trying to kill you!"

"Sorry for swiping the air out of your lungs! Have fun making more zombies!"

And let's go see if the puzzle can be solved now?

Back to the central chamber they go! (The dragon room is, strangely, silent again when they pass by.) Soon they're standing in front of the bridge, facing north.

R G B
W B G
Y R W
G Y R

"We don't have a red one in particular. I think any other we could make a straight path without. Red one's in the mirror room."

"The ogre was right, then. Damn it."

"Okay, who can we make least dangerous. I'll do it if I'm the best choice but I'm full of spells and don't fancy using them all up on purpose mid-dungeon in case that dragon has, I don't know, shapeshifted to make it out the door and is prowling around looking for us - Jojo can't be disarmed - Deekin, do you know Silence, it's dismissable but if you cast it on yourself in advance maybe your duplicate wouldn't be able to dismiss it?"

Deekin shakes his head. "Deekin meaning to learn it next time Deekin get new second-level spell. Deekin not want to suggest, but maybe tie Belmarniss or Deekin hands so no spells? Belmarniss have Still Spell?"